The climax of the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations between Morocco and Senegal will go down as one of the most chaotic finals the beautiful game has ever seen.
A bizarre end to normal time saw a goal controversially disallowed, and a questionable penalty awarded before most of the Senegal squad staged a stunning protest against the two game-changing decisions.
Senegal thought they were ahead in the first minute of stoppage time when Ismaila Sarr nodded the ball in from close range after Abdoulaye Seck slammed a header of his own against the crossbar.
However, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo judged that Seck had fouled Achraf Hakimi in the build-up, despite the replay suggesting that there was minimal contact on the Paris Saint-Germain defender.
Things went from bad to worse for Senegal when Brahim Diaz hit the deck following a tussle with El Hadji Malick Diouf from a corner kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Ndala Ngambo initially looked like he would allow play to continue, but significant protests from the entire Morocco squad led to the decision being taken to the Video Assistant Referee Pierre Atcho.
He decided that the referee should take another look at the incident, but any hope that that would provide some clarity was quickly dashed.
The match official was subsequently surrounded by members of both the Morocco and Senegal coaching staffs as well as their players, with pushes and shoves clearly visible throughout the process.
The Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah erupted when Ndala Ngambo pointed to the penalty spot, booking Diouf and Sarr on his way to the box.
The awarding of the penalty sparked intense protests from the Senegal players, but the madness was only just beginning.
In a shocking twist, Pape Thiaw appeared to call his players off the pitch in response to the controversial call.
“An unsavoury finish,” said E4 commentator Paul Walker. “Pape Thiaw is taking his players off the pitch.
“This is extraordinary, I have never seen anything quite like this.”
“You can’t do that, you can’t do that,” responded Efan Ekoku on co-commentary.
“However aggrieved you feel about the situation, you have to let the referee implement the rules.”
The Moroccan players were left waiting in the penalty area to take the spot kick for more than 15 minutes, but there was no sign of their opponents until Senegalese icon Sadio Mane went back to the dressing room.
Within minutes of his departure from the field, the former Liverpool star’s teammates returned, and the penalty was taken.
You would think that would be it, but no.
Díaz, whose zealous appeals for a penalty kick-started the chaos, attempted an audacious Panenka penalty that landed safely in the hands of former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, and the referee immediately blew for full-time.
There was one final twist in extra time, as Pape Gueye fired one in off the bar to win it for Senegal.
